PTK names WVU Parkersburg student regional honors chair

Debbie Crites was elected 2014-2015 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honors chair for the Virginia/West Virginia Region at the PTK annual conference held in Lewisburg earlier this month.

As honors chair for PTK, Crites will oversee the regional PTK Honors in Action project, titled “Frontiers and the Spirit of Exploration” and will assist in facilitating member discussion during the regional Honors in Action Academy to be held Nov. 6-9 at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia.

In preparation of her new appointment, Crites gathered with over 500 fellow PTK members, advisors and alumni for the 2014 Honors Institute held this June at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Considered the “crown jewel” of Phi Theta Kappa programming, the week-long exploration of the honors study topic included internationally recognized speakers, small group seminars, educational field trips and experiential activities.

She also attended the annual officer’s training workshop at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, Virginia where she and other regional officers participated in leadership, etiquette skills development and established regional goals and objectives for the new academic year.

Crites is a member of the Sigma Omega chapter at WVU Parkersburg and served as the 2013-2014 chapter president. She is currently pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in child development and anticipates graduating in spring 2016.

Phi Theta Kappa is the official international honor society for two-year college students and originated in 1910. With over 2,000,000 members, it continues to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students, as well as provide opportunities for individual growth and development through participation in honors, leadership, service and fellowship programming.

The campus Sigma Omega chapter meets the second Wednesday and fourth Monday of each month and is currently recruiting new members in anticipation of its fall ’14 induction ceremony. Interested students must be currently enrolled at WVU Parkersburg, have a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average and have completed 12 credit hours of associate degree course work. For more information on becoming a member, contact chapter advisors Dianne Davis, Violet Mosser, Andrew Rochus, Marie Butler or Alita Sellers.